During a M83 performance in Columbus, Ohio last weekend, frontman Anthony Gonzalez physically accosted a guard once security forces began forcefully removing fans from the stage. As the show wound down, Gonzalez had invited the crowd onto the stage, in violation of security protocol; when security stepped in and began to clear the stage, Gonzalez flew into a rage, slapping and kicking a security guard.

If Jay Reatard’s Twitter is any indication, Gonzalez’s kicks and slaps weren’t enough to sustain serious damage (claims Reatard: “Homeboy in M83 has the weakest slap I have ever seen”), but Gonzalez issued an apology to the guard in question on the band’s MySpace page today, stating that “I sincerely apologize for the way I handled the situation, and in particular for trying to physically interfere with security staff at the venue who I fully accept were only trying to do their job of ensuring proper protection for both the band and members of the audience.” The full statement is available here; M83’s next show is at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan this weekend, where hopefully no security guards will be harmed.

A friend of The Tripwire who goes under the production credit of Music Is Magic recently sent us a mix of songs he mashed-up. Included in the mix were a bevy of indie staples we prescribe to, including Gang Gang Dance, M83, Black Dice, Burial and MGMT among others. But the track “Gupdegup” mixes arguably three of our favorite summer jams together to make what we are deeming the perfect track to escape the city to.

By combining Dan Friel’s already catchy as hell “Ghost Town (Part 1)” with a live take of Animal Collective’s “Taste” and using Steel An’ Skin’s “Reggae Is Here Once Again” and “Afro Punk Reggae Dub” for the rhythm, we dare you to listen to this song without feeling happy and bobbin’ your head. Just wait until about 50 seconds in when the melody from the Friel track kicks in and try not to smile. It’s impossible.

Music Is Magic – “Gupdegup” (Dan Friel, Animal Collective, Steel An’ Skin Mix)

Moby’s been feeling inspired lately, and we’re about to benefit from it — his ninth studio album, Wait For Me, hits stores June 30, and we have the video for his first single “Shot In The Back Of The Head” right here, right now.

The countdown to the release of the album will kick off tomorrow with a free download of the video. It’s a dark, pulsing and haunting few minutes, directed by David Lynch, who was actually the inspiration for the album in a round-about way.

We’ll let Moby explain, in a blog entry from his web site:
david was talking about creativity, and to paraphrase, about how creativity in and of itself, and without market pressures, is fine. it seems that too often creative output is judged by how well it accommodates the marketplace, how much market share it commands and how much money it generates.

In making this record i wanted to focus on making something that i loved, without really being concerned about how it might be received by the marketplace. as a result it’s a quieter, more melodic, more mournful and more personal record than some of the records i’ve made in the past.

Moby called in his friends to help record the album, doodled the album art with sharpie on some copy paper and did the whole thing from the comfort of his own home. The mixing — done using purely analog equipment in true stereo — was done with the help of Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros, M83).

Check out “Shot In The Back Of The Head” here, and be sure to download your free video tomorrow.

In the wake of the ever increasing pool of festivals and the possible merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the idea of paying $200 to see live music during a recession resulted in our pockets slapping us back into reality. But to be fair, the Sasquatch Festival — presented by Live Nation and tickets sold by Ticketmaster — is one of the cheaper weekend-long festivals and the line-up could quite possibly be the best yet.

Of course, this has left us all wondering at what point does the festival circuit become too congested, leaving them all a bit redundant and watered down? Those who remember the 90s will remember that Lollapalooza took time off for this very reason. But we digress, the Sasquatch Festival will take place May 23-25 at The Gorge in Quincy, WA and features the just-announced-today-union of Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction as the festival headliners. But the rest of the line-up is what excites us and looks like this:

Kings of Leon, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Erykah Badu, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, TV On The Radio, Animal Collective, Silversun Pickups, Bon Iver, Santigold, Of Montreal, Explosions In The Sky, Devotchka, Peter Bjorn & John, Gogol Bordello, M. Ward, The Avett Brothers, Doves, Calexico, Grizzly Bear, M83, Girl Talk, The Gaslight Anthem, The Walkmen, Chromeo (dj set), Deadmau5, Mugison, Sun Kil Moon, Airborne Toxic Event, Blitzen Trapper, Shearwater, BLK JKS, The Wrens, Tobacco, Monotonix, King Khan & The Shrines, St. Vincent, Passion Pit, John Vanderslice, Bishop Allen, Blind Pilot, AA Bondy, Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Knux, Ra Ra Riot, The Dodos, Beach House, Arthur & Yu, The Submarines, Owl City, Viva Voce, James Pants, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, The Builders & The Butchers, The Dutchess & The Duke, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele, Fences, School of Seven Bells, Death Vessel, Horse Feathers, Hockey, Point Juncture, WA, The Pica Beats, Loch Lomond, Vince Mira & more to come.

And the comedy line up includes:
Zach Galifiankas, Demetri Martin, Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job, Todd Barry, Jon Benjamin, God’s Pottery, People’s Republic of Komedy & more.

Ok, got that? Now, as for tickets, beginning on February 28 (on sale weekend only), a discounted 3-day festival pass will be available until March 1 at midnight at $154.50 for the entire weekend with single tickets costing $56.50. Beginning March 2 a 3-day pass will run you $199.50 and a single ticket $66.50 and if you wait until the last minute (and tickets are still available), starting May 11 the weekend pass is $229.50 and single tickets will be $76.50.

Oh, and Ticketmaster will have all your ticketing needs. Go figure.

With Saturdays=Youth, M83 (aka Anthony Gonzalez) decided to forego the 80s references and instead, just take us back to the decade with an album of nostalgic fondness. Like the soft-focused mythology of eternal summers and young love of a John Hughes movies, Gonzalez dedicates our pick for seventh best album of 2007 to “all the friends, music, movies, joints, and crazy teachers that made my teenage years so great!” Or as contributor Kim Robinson put it, the layered synths of M83’s Saturdays=Youth “made me feel all John Hughes 80s insecure, naïve and happy all at the same time.”

Mute Records